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Polearms

From Diablo Wiki

Polearms are, along with Spears, the largest weapons in the game with the most reach. In Diablo II Polearms are unpopular due to their relatively low damage and slow swing speed. They aren't even that good for Barbarians to use with Whirlwind, as they have much lower damage then the top blunts or spears. They are improved somewhat at higher levels in the Expansion, however.

Polearms have been used for centuries as weapons of destruction, though their roots stem from humble farming tools. Derived from the spear, the axe, the scythe, and the hammer, polearms are any combinations of those, and come in all shapes and sizes, from the rudimentary war-scythes to the devastating bardiches and glaives. The polearm can easily strike beyond the range of even the largest swords and axes. Wielding such a weapon requires great strength, skill, and the use of both hands. The Barbarian is the expert in polearms, and his masteries skills tree includes a Polearm Mastery skill.

All polearms are wielded with two hands.

Damage Bonus: This determines how you multiply the item damage by your stats to reach the actual damage. Each 100 points in that stat doubles your weapon's total physical damage. All Polearms are 100 Str, which means every 100 points in Str doubles the weapon damage.

Item Level: Used in many in-game calculations. Monsters must be of this level to drop the item, and it factors in when you get to gamble for this item type as well.

Weapon Speed: A relative comparison to other weapons of the same type. 0 is the base -10, -20, etc is faster, 10, 20, etc is slower, always in increments of 10. Each 10 is equivalent to an SIAS item. Characters are abbreviated to their first letter, with Am = Amazon and As = Assassin.

Range: Goes from 1 (least) to 5 (most), and is identical for all weapon types. I.E. a 3 sword = a 3 spear = a 3 hammer.